braley



June 12, 1956 M. T. BRALEY 2,749,914

THERMAL PACK FOR BODY APPLICATION Filed Sept. 1'7, 1952 THERMAL PACK FORBODY APPLICATION Margaret T. Braley, Riverside, Conn.

Application September 17, 1952, Serial No. 310,076

3 Claims. (Cl. 128-402) This invention relates to a therapeutic hot packdevice.

In various therapeutic treatments such as those for poliomyelitis andphlebitis, among others, hot packs are prescribed which require overlong periods frequent attention of nurses to remove the towels ordressing from the affected part, dip them in hot water, wring them outand replace them on the patient. Not only does this treatment require anexorbitant amount of attention by nurses or aides, but the frequentdisturbance of the patient, especially if the affected part is inflamedor sensitive, as in phlebitis, is objectionable and may interfere withmost rapid recovery.

I have now found that such therapy can be greatly improved by use of anovel device which serves both to provide a reservoir of heat and abarrier against loss of heat to the atmosphere-both direct loss byradiation and convection and indirect loss by evaporation of water fromthe hot towels. I have found furthermore that the therapy, especiallyfor phlebitis, is improved by use of an hydraulic device to distribute auniform pressure over the flesh of the affected part.

My invention accordingly combines these features by use of a tough,flexible, waterproof sheet which is impervious to water vapor and whichis less subject to radiation and convection losses than exposedtoweling. This sheet is provided with fasteners to hold it with edgeportions overlapped in a tight wrapping on the affected part. On theinside of this wrapper sheet I secure liquid cell units which contain aheat storage liquid (i. e., a stable liquid of relatively high specificheat) in flexible impervious bags or cells, so that any constrictivepressure caused by the wrapper is evenly distributed as hydraulicpressure by these cells and thus may be kept at a minimum at everypoint.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown an example of my inventionwhich has received enthusiastic approval of leading doctors and is beingsought for as regular equipment by some of the most up-to-date hospitalswhere it has been used experimentally by such doctors.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device laid out flat;

Figure 2 is a cross-section taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows, in side elevation, the device applied to the leg of apatient;

Figure 4 is a cross-section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 showing thestructure of the therapeutic hot pack device but without attempting toshow any of the structure of the patients leg;

Figure 5 is an isometric view of a liquid cell unit as used in mydevice.

Referring to these drawings, the wrapper sheet 1 is made from a tough,flexible, elastomeric plastic such as plasticized vinyl chloride-vinylacetate copolymer, polyethylene, or synthetic rubber, etc. Polyethylenefilm is most advantageous because of its combination of flexibil- StatesPatent ity, toughness, softness to the tactile sense of the patientsskin, resistance to surface heat loss, and, in some instances,tranparency (in cases where observance of the affected part is desirablewithout removal of the device). Where transparency is not required, thisplastic sheet advantageously is laminated with aluminum foil or iscompounded with aluminum flake or bronzing powder or otherwise treatedwith a heat reflective material in thin form so that the sheet isrendered substantially impervious to thermal radiation. Its outersurface is smooth so that convection losses therefrom are minimized.

A second sheet 3 which advantageously is also of a plastic such as thosementioned above, but ordinarily not embodying reflective pigment orlaminate, is secured to the inside of the first and along its end edges4 so as to form a pocket 5 for the liquid cell units 7. The width ofthese pocket areas on the device is advantageously a little less thanthe circumference or girth of the affected part-in this case shown as aleg. Advantageously, as shown, the sheet 3 is secured along itslongitudinal center line 6 to the central portion of the first-mentionedwrapper sheet 1, so that actually pockets 5L and SR are formed openingto opposite sides.

It is satisfactory in most cases to have one long pocket at each sideinto which several liquid cell units '7 are inserted side by side; butthere is some advantage in making individual pockets by securing thesheets together along the transverse lines 10 between the units 7 sothat each pocket is snugly fitted to a single unit 7.

Each unit 7, as shown, has three parallel cells, each hermeticallysealed and filled with a stable liquid of relatively high specific heat.Water may be used. Diethylene glycol or a strong aqueous solution ofsuch glycol is better. Hydrocarbon liquids such as di-phenyl or kerosenecan also be used. The term high specific heat is used herein to indicatespecific heats within the range established by the compounds givenabove, i. e., water, diethylene glycol, di-phenyl, and kerosene, whichare representative of the liquids commonly used as heat exchange liquidsor coolants. The edge portions 8 and the separating lines 9 in theexample shown are heatsealed together to give permanent hermeticallysealed cells and tabs 11 and 12 provided with holes as at 14 facilitatehandling when hot.

Tie straps 16 attached to the center on the outside of Wrapper sheet Iserve to hold the device in place and under the desired pressure.

The shape of the sheets 1 and 3 as shown, is approximately trapezoidalin outline but with the end edges bent upwardly, the upper edge 13 thusbeing convex and the lower edge 15 concave, while the side edges 17 and19 diverge upwardly. Although not essential to the invention in itsbroader aspect this is advantageous to assure ready location and betterfit on the afifected part.

In the use of the device as shown in the drawings and described abovethe several heat cells 7 are removed from their pocket and placed in ahot water bath of about F. until they are heated to approximately thetemperature of the bath. The wrapper portion of the device of thepresent invention 1, 3, 16 is placed under the limb or other affectedportion with the larger end toward the broader portion of the limb.Towels 18 as in the presently used treatment are dipped in water ofabout 115 F. and then wrung out and wrapped around the limb or otheraffected part to be treated. The heat cells 7 are now removed from thehot bath and placed in the pocket 5L and SR under the limb and the twosides of the wrapper sheet 1 are respectively brought up and wrappedaround the limb and then tied by the ties 16 snugly, but, in cases ofphlebitis, with as little pressure as possible. As thus finally applied,the device is shown in position in Figure 3, and a diagrammaticcross-section shown in Figure 4 shows the relation of the parts as thusapplied without attempting to show any of the structure of the limb.

I claim:

1. A therapeutic hot pack device which comprises a sheet of tough,flexible elastomeric plastic composition of width substantially greaterthan the girth of an affected limb whereby it is adapted to wrap aroundsaid'limb with edge portions overlapped, a second sheet of plasticsecured to the first along a central longitudinal line and transverselyat its ends, forming pockets between said sheets, liquid cell units heldinsaid pockets, each comprised of a pair of flexible sheets of toughelastomeric plastic sealed together at their edges to form aliquid-tight cell and a liquid therein of high specific heat, andflexible tie straps secured to the outside of said first-named sheet atspaced points along a centrally positioned longitudinal line, saidstraps being no longer than the width of the plastic sheet and extendingtransversely thereof.

2. A therapeutic hot pack device as defined in claim 1 in which theliquid cell units are also sealed together along a plurality of linesspaced from the edges and from 4 each other to provide a plurality ofsealed cells, each of said cells being filled with a liquid of highspecific gravity. 3. A therapeutic hot pack device as defined in claim 1in which the liquid cell units are also sealed together along aplurality of lines spaced from the lateral edges and from each other toprovide a plurality of sealed cells, each of said cells being filledwith a liquid of high specific gravity, the units being arranged withtheir said sealing lines parallel to the longitudinal side edges of thefirst-mentioned sheet, whereby in use the liquid cells are arrangedparallel to the axis of the limb around which they are tied.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,273,873 Klein Feb. 24, 1942 2,403,676 Modlinski July 9, 1946 2,547,886Poux Apr. 3, 1951 2,577,945 Atherton Dec. 11, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS821,150 France Aug. 17, 1937

